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A snapshot of US social work student mental health in spring 2023
Journal article   Peer reviewed

A snapshot of US social work student mental health in spring 2023

Lauren A. Ricciardelli, Stephen V. McGarity and Eric Schade
Social work education, Vol.online ahead of print
05/30/2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2026.2681011
Web of Science ID: WOS:001776781600001

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Abstract

social work students assessment of needs COVID-19 mental health diagnosis Higher Education Mental Health Social Work
At the time of this study, little scholarship focused on the mental health of social work students following the onset of COVID-19. Because viral pandemics and the ethical mandates of the social work profession are in a sense borderless, this line of inquiry has implications for social work education and practice standards more broadly. The purpose of this cross-sectional national survey study was to create a snapshot of US social work students' self-reported mental health in spring 2023. Research questions were: (1) What are social work students self-reporting in terms of diagnosed mental health disorders presently, and what is the rate of comorbidity? (2) Do social work students vary significantly on self-reported mental health diagnosis type and comorbidity by demographic variable age? To answer these questions, researchers administered an anonymous Qualtrics survey to US social workers in spring 2023 (N = 287). Researchers conducted univariate and bivariate analyses, as well as regression-based post hoc tests. Results support that social work students were more likely to report mental health diagnoses who were younger, who identified as LGTBQIA+, and that Black and African American students were more likely to report trauma-related disorder. Findings from this study align with previous research.

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